Folder packages for surgical sutures and surgical needles are well known in the art. Surgical sutures are typically referred to in this art as single-armed or double-armed. Single-armed surgical sutures have a single surgical needle mounted to one end of the suture. In contrast, double-armed needles have a surgical needle mounted to each end of the suture. In a typical double-armed suture folder package, the suture is typically folded in half to form a loop at the suture mid-point such that both ends of the suture and the attached surgical needles are adjacent to each other. Then the loop end of the suture is mounted in a retention means, and both surgical needles (mounted to the ends of the suture) are mounted into a needle park. Alternatively, the ends of the suture adjacent to the needles may be mounted in the needle parks. Typically, multiple double-armed needles are packaged in a folder package.
There is a constant need in this art for improved packages for double-armed and single-armed surgical sutures that are readily removed from a package without any binding or hang-ups.